Ethical Doctrines in Jainism

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur

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ETHICAL DOCTRINES IN JAINISM
the foundation of all ignorance. Apart from this, he regards himself as no longer their enjoyer. Whatever he does or enjoys, all is due to the irresistibility of the force of Karman and his weakness, but internally he does not relish them because he has acquired the taste for something noble and excellent.
SAMYAGDARSANA AS FORMING THE SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND OF JAINA ETHICS: We have endeavoured to explain the nature of Samyagdarśana by frequently describing it as the unflinching and sturdy belief in the Tattvas, which eventually leads us to have the belief in the transcendental nature of self. This naturally creates an impression of its momentousness in the domain of spiritualism. Without Samyagdarśana conduct is incapable of surpassing the province of morality. An ascetic who bases his asceticism on the mere moral concepts cannot be said to be superior to a householder whose interior has been illumined with the light of Samyagdarśana, inasmuch as the former is paving the way for the achievement of empyreal pleasures far away from the blissful state of existence, while the latter's face is turned in the right direction, which will in due course yield whatever is worthy of his inherent nature. The auspicious Bhāvas are regarded by the spiritually converted persons as the temporary places of stay, when they find themselves incapable of staying at the pinnacle of truth and realization. These Bhāvas serve as a halting place for them and not as a permanent dwelling. Thus such aspirants absolve themselves even from subconscious egoism in performing auspicious activities. On the contrary, those who are only morally converted regard the acquisition of auspicious mental states and performance of auspicious activities as ends in themselves, hence they are bound to endless mundane existence, which shall deprive them of spiritual bliss for all time before spiritual conversion. Besides, their profound learning and the austere penances performed by them even for thousands of years or more are spiritually unfruitful in the absence of Samyagdarśana.2 Kundakunda undauntedly declares that the wise man even in enjoying the conscious and non-conscious objects by the senses simply sheds off the Karman, and thus avoids fresh bondage. This may at the outset appear paradoxical but it is justifiable, since he undertakes a detached view of things and performs certain actions owing to the inefficiency of counteracting the force of Karman. This is not the case
1 Pañcā. Comm. Amộta. 135, 136.
2 Darsana. Pā. 4, 5.